Penn State Football’s 2021 recruiting class is officially in the books.
The class, arguably the toughest head coach James Franklin has had to navigate during his tenure, finishes with 16 signees. The class ranks 21st nationally according to 247 Sports, but is 16th in terms of average star rating.
The class is headlined by 4-star offensive tackle Landon Tengwall, but he is not the only future star in the class.
Joining Tengwall on the offensive line is 4-star guard Nate Bruce, who is reportedly up to 344 pounds at this time. These two could be the future of the left side of the Nittany Lions‘ offensive line.
4-star wide receiver Lonnie White Jr. will receive the bulk of the attention regarding 2021 signees over the next few months. White is also an excellent baseball player and he will have a decision to make this summer come MLB draft time. MLB Pipeline currently ranks him as their 37th best draft prospect.
White is seen as a future No.1 receiver, and Franklin would love to get him enrolled and on the team. Two other 4-star receivers are in the class in Liam Clifford, brother of Sean Clifford, and Harrison Wallace. They will be joining a young, but talented unit.
Another pass catcher is tight end Khalil Dinkins, who may be the best athlete in the class. The 4-star could stay at tight end, but he could also play linebacker- where he may be more useful due to the abundance of talent at tight end. Dinkins could be an impact player right away on special teams.
Throwing these guys the ball will quarter back Christian Veilleux, who arrives to campus as QB 3 as a true freshman. Its certainly not something anyone expected, but two transfers have caused Veilleux to have to be ready to go if needed in 2021.
The class also includes a pair of twins in Kalen and Kobe King. Kalen is a 4-star corner back, while Kobe is a 3-star linebacker. While Kalen has the higher upside, Kobe may be the first to see action due to Penn State’s depth at the middle linebacker position after the 2021 season.
Joining Kobe in the linebacker room is another Michigan native in 4-star Jamari Buddin. Buddin is seen as a bit of a project, but has the upside of a starting Will linebacker.
Kalen is part of a solid defensive back group which includes 3-star corner Jeffrey Davis Jr. and two 4-star safeties in Jaylen Reed and Zakee Wheatly. The two safeties should be able to compete for time early in their careers due to a lack of depth at safety.
The defensive end group received a big boost on Wednesday when 4-star Davon Townley became the 16th member of the class. He, along with early enrollee Rodney McGraw, will be counted on to compete for depth spots right away. The two give Penn State a solid finish to a position that looked doomed from a recruiting standpoint.
The last, but not least, member of this class is kicker Sander Sahaydak, ranked as the nation’s No. 2 kicker by 247 Sports. With Jake Pinegar and Jordan Stout becoming upper classmen, Sahaydak looks to be the kicker of the future.
Penn State’s 2021 class probably isn’t what many expected it to be. There is no Nolan Rucci or Derrick Davis Jr., and they failed to bring in a running back or defensive tackle. Despite this, the class still fills some needs and the small class actually helped Penn State.
With a hard cap of 25 scholarships per year, Penn State is now able to bring in nine transfers to help the 2021 team. So far, they have brought in five, meaning they can bring in four more.
Between the high school signees and the transfers, this was a good haul for James Franklin that should help Penn State win games in 2021 and beyond.